How do you pronounce "pedał"?

Say it "PEH-dahw" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈpɛ.daw.

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Polish · Words You'll Hear But Must Never Say

pedał

PEH-dahw · /ˈpɛ.daw/

A homophobic slur for a gay man. You'll hear it; never say it.

5/5 Do not deploy

nuclear/taboo — comprehension only, never recommended

Literally

"(homophobic slur; literally 'pedal,' via French 'pédale')"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

We're telling you so you understand it, not so you say it. This is the standard Polish homophobic slur, and you will unfortunately hear it — thrown between straight men as generic abuse, scrawled on walls, shouted at football matches. Its frequency changes nothing: it is a slur against gay men, it carries real menace in a country where LGBT rights are a live political battle, and from a visitor's mouth it has no innocent reading. The neutral word is "gej." Comprehension-only, severity 5 — recognize it, understand the temperature of the room it's said in, and keep it out of your mouth.

Heard in the wild

[Heard as street abuse; listed for comprehension only.]

[A homophobic slur — recognize it, never repeat it.]

Where it lands

Poland (universal); a slur despite its casual frequency

Quick answers

What does "pedał" mean?: In Polish, "pedał" means "A homophobic slur for a gay man. You'll hear it; never say it.". Literally it's "(homophobic slur; literally 'pedal,' via French 'pédale')". We're telling you so you understand it, not so you say it. This is the standard Polish homophobic slur, and you will unfortunately hear it — thrown between straight men as generic abuse, scrawled on walls, shouted at football matches. Its frequency changes nothing: it is a slur against gay men, it carries real menace in a country where LGBT rights are a live political battle, and from a visitor's mouth it has no innocent reading. The neutral word is "gej." Comprehension-only, severity 5 — recognize it, understand the temperature of the room it's said in, and keep it out of your mouth.
Is "pedał" offensive?: Yes — very. It rates 5/5 on the Punch-o-Meter (Do not deploy). nuclear/taboo — comprehension only, never recommended. Read the usage note before you even think about it.
How do you pronounce "pedał"?: Say it "PEH-dahw" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈpɛ.daw.

Related in Polish

cwel TSVEHL A prison-derived slur — the ultimate degradation in hooligan and street speech. Never say it. ciapaty chah-PAH-tih A racist slur for brown-skinned people. Comprehension-only — never say it. bambus BAHM-booss A racist slur for Black people. Comprehension-only — never say it. skurwysyn skoor-VIH-sin Son of a bitch — a hard, aimed insult with the kurwa root inside. ty kurwo tih KOOR-voh You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely. debil DEH-beel Moron / idiot — the standard hard 'you idiot.'

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